When I got my tank, I earned $45 in "bonus bucks". They run a per $ spent deal thru the year and April 5th pay out in bonus bucks at this store. (Not my local LFS) Sooooo my tank being the expense it was, and the fact I bought it 2 weeks before the "end of the bonus year", I earned my bonus. I went to the store today. Nothing. Absolutely nothing there.
I looked at the corals. They were all scrawny. I don't mean small, I mean scraggly scrawny. And looked unhealthy to boot. The ones that did look "ok" were covered in weeds and bubble algae. PASS!!
Ok...lets look at fish. Found a really cute yellow watchman goby. But again, scrawny and breathing hard. :( Pass again. I don't have enough experiance to "hope" I can nurse something back to health in quarantine, or risk killing what little I do have in my tank.
Ok...move over and looked at clowns. They were in a separate tank, actually looked pretty healthy. I asked if they were still all juveniles because I wanted a pair and wanted to make sure I had two that hadn't changed sexes yet. ( They looked small, but being new I asked anyway.) The guy said "Oh, it makes no difference. Clowns change back and forth all the time." Ummmm...no, I said, I know one will turn female and be dominant....The other will stay male and smaller. He told me I was wrong and that clowns are sexually "plastic" and switch back and forth.
:grumble: I walked out empty handed.
I love my LFS even more now. Tanks are clean, bright, happy. The guys there have almost all had SW tanks for 10+ years and they don't LIE to me. Tomorrow I will go pay REAL money and get something nice and healthy for my tank. Bonus bucks hit the trash can.
I looked at the corals. They were all scrawny. I don't mean small, I mean scraggly scrawny. And looked unhealthy to boot. The ones that did look "ok" were covered in weeds and bubble algae. PASS!!
Ok...lets look at fish. Found a really cute yellow watchman goby. But again, scrawny and breathing hard. :( Pass again. I don't have enough experiance to "hope" I can nurse something back to health in quarantine, or risk killing what little I do have in my tank.
Ok...move over and looked at clowns. They were in a separate tank, actually looked pretty healthy. I asked if they were still all juveniles because I wanted a pair and wanted to make sure I had two that hadn't changed sexes yet. ( They looked small, but being new I asked anyway.) The guy said "Oh, it makes no difference. Clowns change back and forth all the time." Ummmm...no, I said, I know one will turn female and be dominant....The other will stay male and smaller. He told me I was wrong and that clowns are sexually "plastic" and switch back and forth.
:grumble: I walked out empty handed.
I love my LFS even more now. Tanks are clean, bright, happy. The guys there have almost all had SW tanks for 10+ years and they don't LIE to me. Tomorrow I will go pay REAL money and get something nice and healthy for my tank. Bonus bucks hit the trash can.